Great!
I'm going to start with the easy stuff and work my way up to the more obscure stuff. Probably a lot of the stuff you won't see in America, but anyway.
Har gow (prawn dumpling)
This is another staple of dim sum. It consists of a dumpling-style thing which you can eat in one bite. The inside is made of steamed shrimp. Sometimes accent ingredients such as young bamboo shoots or bamboo pith are added. The wrapping is made of flour. The whole thing is steamed until the wrapping becomes translucent and the shrimp inside is fully cooked.
Compared to barbecued pork bun, there is a greater difference in taste between bad har gow and good har gow.
Here's what good har gow should be:
The shrimp must be fresh. Har gow is not heavy in flavour, but the shrimp taste must be immediately apparent. Usage of frozen shrimp is common in cheaper har gow but taste suffers.
The whole thing must be hot.
The wrapping must be steamed to the right consistency. It should be a bit chewy without being too soggy (sticks to the palate) or too hard.
The inside should be juicy but not watery. This comes from using good shrimp and good steaming technique. The juice that comes out when you bit into the har gow should not be immediately apparent, but should not be excessive.
These are usually served in bamboo wicker baskets, four to a serving. They are usually 'medium' menu items.
garcia1000 sort of likes these.
Pictures!
